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Posts: 797
Joined: Jun. 1 2010
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia
RE: Paco de Lucia's Ensemble (in reply to Josué Machado)
I thought Alain Perez was awesome!! He and Piraña got into some wicked grooves when we saw them in Montreal on the 25th. The current lineup is fantastic IMO.
RE: Paco de Lucia's Ensemble (in reply to ralexander)
quote:
I thought Alain Perez was awesome!! He and Piraña got into some wicked grooves when we saw them in Montreal on the 25th. The current lineup is fantastic IMO.
Oh no argument from me. I played bass thru out my 20s and he certainly fits the 'Bass player' mould. But that last solo he did Paco was making eyes at him like he was saying 'WTF was that?!' But yes, those two certainly groove well together!
Posts: 797
Joined: Jun. 1 2010
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia
RE: Paco de Lucia's Ensemble (in reply to chrisva)
Hey Chris, I'm not surprised to hear that since Montreal was the first show of this Canadian leg. I love outdoor venues and wanted to hit Ottawa as well, but we headed back to Nova Scotia through the US after the show on Saturday.
RE: Paco de Lucia's Ensemble (in reply to Josué Machado)
I think Paco is becoming more outgoing and it is about time as someone has already suggested. I can never remember him saying anything beyond gracia or even introducing his band the way he did.
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"I'm just a poor crazy man in love with his art." Santos Hernandez
I think Paco is becoming more outgoing and it is about time as someone has already suggested. I can never remember him saying anything beyond gracia or even introducing his band the way he did.
Interesting. I recall reading somewhere that Paco admitted to being generally a shy guy and did not feel he was so hot a player. Does anyone know of a biography on the man? Perhaps a book or something more authoritative than the interweb...
Posts: 1827
Joined: Jul. 8 2003
From: Living in Granada, Andalucía
RE: Paco de Lucia's Ensemble (in reply to jaggedsphere)
D E Pohren wrote a book called "Paco de Lucia and Family: The Master Plan" which is very interesting and in English, published in 1992 I dont know if its still available and obviously doesnt cover the last two decades.
This is a great recommendation that I will look into. I have been reluctant because often Pohren is very critical of any guitarist who does not adopt the Moron style of Del Gastor and company. His attitude towards Montoya, Ricardo and Sabicas in his Lives and Legends book is frankly nauseating at times to me as a guitarist although I highly respect his research and devotion to educate the West about Flamenco.
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"I'm just a poor crazy man in love with his art." Santos Hernandez
Posts: 797
Joined: Jun. 1 2010
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia
RE: Paco de Lucia's Ensemble (in reply to jaggedsphere)
quote:
Does he ALWAYS tour with those ferns?
I think they are in the tour rider - funny you should say that, because I was briefing my wife-to-be on what to expect as we walked into the venue, and I mentioned these. I think they are some sort of palm tree - anyway, none to be found in Montreal!
RE: Paco de Lucia's Ensemble (in reply to Josué Machado)
I was lucky enough to catch the Toronto and Victoria shows...ferns at both ;) . Both shows were great...it was interesting to compare though:
Toronto had way more young people and different ethnicities...whereas Victoria, of course, was whitebread and old!! It was amazing what a huge difference it made in the energy! Lots of Jaleos and lively shouts in Toronto made the vibe pretty electric in there and the band really responded, whereas in Victoria, without the audience participation, the band was way less energised and you could really see that they were all quite exhausted!! Got an encore in Vic though....no encore in Toronto was sad...I guess venue rules made them stop.
Amazing to see the power of Jaleo anyway!
So happy to have seen Paco finally! I just knocked a huge one off my bucket list...twice!!!! :D
Posts: 1812
Joined: Nov. 8 2010
From: London (living in the Bay Area)
RE: Paco de Lucia's Ensemble (in reply to jaggedsphere)
quote:
I recall reading somewhere that Paco admitted to being generally a shy guy and did not feel he was so hot a player. Does anyone know of a biography on the man? Perhaps a book or something more authoritative than the interweb...
Paco Sevilla’s biography is far more comprehensive than Pohren’s (although without the benefit of personal acquaintance), and very well written. It should be exactly what you want:
[Pohren’s] attitude towards Montoya, Ricardo and Sabicas in his Lives and Legends book is frankly nauseating
Quite disgusting:
“What makes Sabicas stand out? There are four major factors […] The first is his unbelievable technique. All the flamenco techniques in use today have been developed by SABICAS to a high state of perfection. The second consists of the fact the SABICAS is one of flamenco’s great creators, ranking alongside Ramón Montoya, Javier Molina, and Niño Ricardo […] The third is SABICAS’ fabulous sense of compás, recognized by Manolo de Huelva as foremost among present-day guitarists. Especially in his accompanying (i.e. SABICAS’ records with Carmen Amaya), SABICAS makes one want to leap to his feet and dance. The fourth is SABICAS’ outstanding accompanying, for which art he has a profound instinct.”
RE: Paco de Lucia's Ensemble (in reply to Paul Magnussen)
Well..in my defense:
"One can detect the great tradition in Ramon's playing, but it is rarely like it can be with others, when the very odors of juergas and gypsies and cave dwellings seem to permeate the room, when bubbling gaiety and profound sadness issues from the tremulous strings. It is tragic, in a way, that in Ramon's last years he himself recognized the inadequacy and pointlessness of most if his artistic life."
"A most serious failing in Ricardo's makeup is that his intricate style of playing presents an obstacle through which little duende can seep. His playing is exciting, musically fascinating, sometimes beautiful, but not generally emotional to the extent that Ricardo would be capable with a less complex style of playing."
"He has cut too many records, some of them strictly commercial, a lot of them trash...as far as they are concerned, everything that Sabicas does nowadays is to be blindly condemned. In a way they are right."
Clearly Pohren has an agenda which is to limit the guitar's place to hammering out compas and the simplest of falsetas which is fine, he is entitled to this opinion, but sometimes his criticisms feel overly harsh.
_____________________________
"I'm just a poor crazy man in love with his art." Santos Hernandez
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